in Phylace, far from his native land, because he had slain a man, a kinsman of his stepmother Eriopis, whom Oileus had to wife.
And Iasus was marshaled as a leader of the Athenians, and was called the son of Sphelus, son of Bucolus.
§15.339Μηκιστῆ δʼ ἕλε Πουλυδάμας, Ἐχίον δὲ Πολίτης §15.340πρώτῃ ἐν ὑσμίνῃ, Κλονίον δʼ ἕλε δῖος Ἀγήνωρ.
And Mecisteus was slain by Polydamas, and Echios by Polites in the foremost encounter, and noble Agenor slew Clonius.
§15.341Δηΐοχον δὲ Πάρις βάλε νείατον ὦμον ὄπισθε §15.342φεύγοντʼ ἐν προμάχοισι, διὰ πρὸ δὲ χαλκὸν ἔλασσεν.
And Paris smote Deïochus from behind, on the lower part of the shoulder, as he fled among the foremost fighters, and drove the bronze clean through.
§15.343ὄφρʼ οἳ τοὺς ἐνάριζον ἀπʼ ἔντεα, τόφρα δʼ Ἀχαιοὶ §15.344τάφρῳ καὶ σκολόπεσσιν ἐνιπλήξαντες ὀρυκτῇ §15.345ἔνθα καὶ ἔνθα φέβοντο, δύοντο δὲ τεῖχος ἀνάγκῃ.
While they were stripping the armor from these, meanwhile the Achaeans had fallen into the dug trench and among the palisades, and fled this way and that, and entered within the wall of necessity.
§15.346Ἕκτωρ δὲ Τρώεσσιν ἐκέκλετο μακρὸν ἀΰσας §15.347νηυσὶν ἐπισσεύεσθαι, ἐᾶν δʼ ἔναρα βροτόεντα· §15.348ὃν δʼ ἂν ἐγὼν ἀπάνευθε νεῶν ἑτέρωθι νοήσω, §15.349αὐτοῦ οἱ θάνατον μητίσομαι, οὐδέ νυ τόν γε §15.350γνωτοί τε γνωταί τε πυρὸς λελάχωσι θανόντα, §15.351ἀλλὰ κύνες ἐρύουσι πρὸ ἄστεος ἡμετέροιο. §15.352ὣς εἰπὼν μάστιγι κατωμαδὸν ἤλασεν ἵππους §15.353κεκλόμενος Τρώεσσι κατὰ στίχας· οἳ δὲ σὺν αὐτῷ §15.354πάντες ὁμοκλήσαντες ἔχον ἐρυσάρματας ἵππους §15.355ἠχῇ θεσπεσίῃ· προπάροιθε δὲ Φοῖβος Ἀπόλλων §15.356ῥεῖʼ ὄχθας καπέτοιο βαθείης ποσσὶν ἐρείπων §15.357ἐς μέσσον κατέβαλλε, γεφύρωσεν δὲ κέλευθον §15.358μακρὴν ἠδʼ εὐρεῖαν, ὅσον τʼ ἐπὶ δουρὸς ἐρωὴ §15.359γίγνεται, ὁππότʼ ἀνὴρ σθένεος πειρώμενος ᾗσι.
And Hector shouted aloud, calling to the Trojans to rush upon the ships, and to leave the bloody spoils; "And whomsoever I shall mark elsewhere, away from the ships, on the very spot I will devise his death, nor shall his kinsmen and kinswomen give him his share of fire when dead, but the dogs shall drag him before our city." So saying, he lashed his horses on the shoulder with his whip, calling to the Trojans along the ranks; and they with him, all with one shouting, held the horses that drew their chariots with a wondrous din; and before them Phoebus Apollo easily kicked down the banks of the deep ditch with his feet, and threw them into the midst, and bridged a pathway, long and broad, as far as a spear-cast reaches, when a man makes trial of his strength.
§15.360τῇ ῥʼ οἵ γε προχέοντο φαλαγγηδόν, πρὸ δʼ Ἀπόλλων §15.361αἰγίδʼ ἔχων ἐρίτιμον· ἔρειπε δὲ τεῖχος Ἀχαιῶν §15.362ῥεῖα μάλʼ, ὡς ὅτε τις ψάμαθον πάϊς ἄγχι θαλάσσης, §15.363ὅς τʼ ἐπεὶ οὖν ποιήσῃ ἀθύρματα νηπιέῃσιν §15.364ἂψ αὖτις συνέχευε ποσὶν καὶ χερσὶν ἀθύρων.
Thereby they poured onward in their squadrons, and before them Apollo went holding the precious aegis; and he overthrew the wall of the Achaeans very easily, as when a child does sand near the sea, who, when he has made playthings in his childishness, back again confounds them with feet and hands, playing.
Even so didst thou, archer Phoebus, confound the long toil and sore trouble of the Argives, and didst rouse panic among them.
§15.367ὣς οἳ μὲν παρὰ νηυσὶν ἐρητύοντο μένοντες, §15.368ἀλλήλοισί τε κεκλόμενοι καὶ πᾶσι θεοῖσι §15.369χεῖρας ἀνίσχοντες μεγάλʼ εὐχετόωντο ἕκαστος·
So they were held in check, remaining beside the ships, calling upon one another, and lifting up their hands to all the gods they made prayer, each one of them aloud.
§15.370Νέστωρ αὖτε μάλιστα Γερήνιος οὖρος Ἀχαιῶν §15.371εὔχετο χεῖρʼ ὀρέγων εἰς οὐρανὸν ἀστερόεντα· §15.372Ζεῦ πάτερ εἴ ποτέ τίς τοι ἐν Ἄργεΐ περ πολυπύρῳ §15.373ἢ βοὸς ἢ οἰὸς κατὰ πίονα μηρία καίων §15.374εὔχετο νοστῆσαι, σὺ δʼ ὑπέσχεο καὶ κατένευσας, §15.375τῶν μνῆσαι καὶ ἄμυνον Ὀλύμπιε νηλεὲς ἦμαρ, §15.376μηδʼ οὕτω Τρώεσσιν ἔα δάμνασθαι Ἀχαιούς. §15.377ὣς ἔφατʼ εὐχόμενος, μέγα δʼ ἔκτυπε μητίετα Ζεύς, §15.378ἀράων ἀΐων Νηληϊάδαο γέροντος.
And Nestor, the warder of the Achaeans, prayed most of all, stretching out his hands to the starry heaven: "Father Zeus, if ever any one in wheat-bearing Argos burned to thee fat thighs of bull or sheep, and prayed that he might return, and thou didst promise and nod assent; of these things be mindful, Olympian, and ward off the pitiless day, nor suffer the Achaeans thus to be vanquished by the Trojans." So he spoke in prayer, and counseling Zeus thundered aloud, hearing the prayers of the aged son of Neleus.
§15.379Τρῶες δʼ ὡς ἐπύθοντο Διὸς κτύπον αἰγιόχοιο, §15.380μᾶλλον ἐπʼ Ἀργείοισι θόρον, μνήσαντο δὲ χάρμης.
But the Trojans, when they heard the thunder of aegis-bearing Zeus, leapt yet more upon the Argives, and remembered their lust of battle.
§15.381οἳ δʼ ὥς τε μέγα κῦμα θαλάσσης εὐρυπόροιο §15.382νηὸς ὑπὲρ τοίχων καταβήσεται, ὁππότʼ ἐπείγῃ §15.383ἲς ἀνέμου· ἣ γάρ τε μάλιστά γε κύματʼ ὀφέλλει· §15.384ὣς Τρῶες μεγάλῃ ἰαχῇ κατὰ τεῖχος ἔβαινον,
And they, as a great wave of the broad-wayed sea sweeps down over the sides of a ship, when the force of the wind drives it; for that especially swells the waves; even so the Trojans with a great shout came down over the wall.
§15.385ἵππους δʼ εἰσελάσαντες ἐπὶ πρύμνῃσι μάχοντο §15.386ἔγχεσιν ἀμφιγύοις αὐτοσχεδόν, οἳ μὲν ἀφʼ ἵππων, §15.387οἳ δʼ ἀπὸ νηῶν ὕψι μελαινάων ἐπιβάντες §15.388μακροῖσι ξυστοῖσι, τά ῥά σφʼ ἐπὶ νηυσὶν ἔκειτο §15.389ναύμαχα κολλήεντα, κατὰ στόμα εἱμένα χαλκῷ.
And having driven in their horses, they fought at the sterns hand to hand with double-edged spears, some from their chariots, and others from their black ships, having clambered up aloft, with long pikes that lay ready for them on the ships for sea-battles, jointed and tipped with bronze.
§15.390Πάτροκλος δʼ εἷος μὲν Ἀχαιοί τε Τρῶές τε §15.391τείχεος ἀμφεμάχοντο θοάων ἔκτοθι νηῶν, §15.392τόφρʼ ὅ γʼ ἐνὶ κλισίῃ ἀγαπήνορος Εὐρυπύλοιο §15.393ἧστό τε καὶ τὸν ἔτερπε λόγοις, ἐπὶ δʼ ἕλκεϊ λυγρῷ §15.394φάρμακʼ ἀκέσματʼ ἔπασσε μελαινάων ὀδυνάων.
Now Patroclus, as long as the Achaeans and Trojans were fighting about the wall, away from the swift ships, so long he sat in the hut of kindly Eurypylus, and cheered him with words, and upon his cruel wound sprinkled herbs that heal dark pains.
§15.395αὐτὰρ ἐπεὶ δὴ τεῖχος ἐπεσσυμένους ἐνόησε §15.396Τρῶας, ἀτὰρ Δαναῶν γένετο ἰαχή τε φόβος τε, §15.397ᾤμωξέν τʼ ἄρʼ ἔπειτα καὶ ὣ πεπλήγετο μηρὼ §15.398χερσὶ καταπρηνέσσʼ, ὀλοφυρόμενος δʼ ἔπος ηὔδα· §15.399Εὐρύπυλʼ οὐκ ἔτι τοι δύναμαι χατέοντί περʼ ἔμπης §15.400ἐνθάδε παρμενέμεν· δὴ γὰρ μέγα νεῖκος ὄρωρεν· §15.401ἀλλὰ σὲ μὲν θεράπων ποτιτερπέτω, αὐτὰρ ἔγωγε §15.402σπεύσομαι εἰς Ἀχιλῆα, ἵνʼ ὀτρύνω πολεμίζειν.
But when he perceived the Trojans rushing upon the wall, while among the Danaans arose clamor and rout, then he groaned, and smote his thighs with the flat of his hands, and mourning he spoke: "Eurypylus, in no wise can I abide longer with thee here, straight though thy need; for a great struggle has arisen; but as for thee, let thy squire comfort thee, and I will hasten to Achilles, that I may urge him to fight.
Who knows if, with God's help, I may rouse his spirit by my persuasion?
ἀγαθὴ δὲ παραίφασίς ἐστιν ἑταίρου.
A good thing is the persuasion of a friend."